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December 04, 2012

Feeding tube and kindergarteners

Every Tuesday I volunteer in Chloe's classroom for an hour and a half. I do this for 2 reasons. 1. In today's society you have to know who your child is hanging around with and have the inside scoop on whats going on and 2. I'm hoping that by bringing Sadie around now while kids are open to new things and aren't really afraid to ask questions they will get to know Sadie and her little differences and the less awkward things will be in the future for my girls when it comes to friends/peers. Her teacher always has something planned for me to do with them. At first I thought "what have I gotten myself into", but as the year has gone on I am actually starting to enjoy these kids and getting to know their personalities.
Today, I walked in the classroom and the kids came running over to talk to Sadie. Sadie got excited and got her best pirate grin on and giggled a little for them and the kids thought this was the best. They loved that she was able to smile crooked. They all tried to smile crooked. I laughed so hard at these kids for trying to "smile like a pirate" (they heard me call her smile this). If only they really knew that she couldn't smile "normal". To them they thought she was doing a cool trick. I loved it. So innocent.
Later Chloe's teacher approached me and told me a little story about a recent lesson that they had. They had been talking about tubes. One of the children said "Chloe's sister has a tube". And at first her teacher said "what?" and then Chloe says "yeah, she has a feeding tube". Her teacher replied "oh yeaahhh, you're right". Then the kids all started talking about feeding tubes and asking questions about them. Her teacher said to Chloe something along the lines of "what do you think about the feeding tube, or can you tell us something about it" I don't know exactly what the question was but Chloe's response was "it's cool, she doesn't have to taste yucky medicine, it just goes in her tube." And the discussion went on from there. Chloe's teacher said her entire lesson planned changed, she went in a totally different direction but it was the direction that the kids wanted and obviously needed to go in. She said it was one her best lessons and it was all thanks to Sadie. I just laughed and said "Sadie is really good at teaching lessons and she doesn't even have to say a word."
So my plan is working. Kids are curious, they are asking questions, they are becoming familiar with Sadie's differences. The earlier and more they know the better off we all will be.

Psalm 139: 13-16 (The Message)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;you formed me in my mother’s womb.I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!Body and soul, I am marvelously made!I worship in adoration—what a creation!You know me inside and out,you know every bone in my body;You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,how I was sculpted from nothing into something.Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;all the stages of my life were spread out before you,The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.